President Barack Obama speaks to the winners of the 2013 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge.

First Lady Michelle Obama urged the 54 winners of this year's Healthy Lunchtime Challenge to follow their dreams and become leaders in their communities Tuesday at the second annual Kids' State Dinner.

The winners, aged 8 to 12, traveled from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C., to the White House for the event. There, they met the first lady and heard from President Barack Obama, who dropped by the luncheon.

Mrs. Obama thanked the winners for setting a healthy example for their peers and community.

"If you keep dreaming up new ideas, if you keep eating healthy and getting active, then you're going to make your communities and your country stronger than ever before, you really are," Mrs. Obama told the winners. "You all are the future. Each of you has so much promise and so much potential.

"As 8-year-old Nicholas Hornbostel from Colorado said, this is a quote, 'I really want to be a cook and an engineer and be president too.' That's an outstanding list," she continued. "That's what this state dinner is really about. We really want you to realize your dreams. And as I always say when I have kids here, I want you to think if you can walk in this room and sit at these chairs and be in front of these cameras and meet the first lady of the United States, then you can do anything in the world."

First Lady Michelle Obama welcomes the winners.

Each of the chefs was announced as they entered the lunch, and some were
interviewed by Let's Move! executive director and assistant White House
chef Sam Kass on the red carpet.

Texan
Devanshi Udeshi told Kass that her Slam Dunk Veggie Burger "was based
on quinoa so the patty was high in protein." Devanshi, like many of the
winners, said meeting the first lady was "an
awesome experience."

The president joked with the kids about liking vegetables now that they're "prepared right" and not boiled like the veggies of his youth.

"You are setting up habits that are going to be great for
your entire life and you're setting a great example for your classmates, and I suspect
you're setting a good example for your parents who sometimes may not always be
eating as healthy as they're supposed to," the president said. "So you're really making a difference
in all the communities and all the states, all across the country. We could not
be prouder of you."

"I made
lettuce cups, but I call them lucky lettuce cups," Cecily Asplund, 10, of Utah, told Kass on the red carpet.

"Do they bring you luck?" Kass asked. "Yup!" she responded.

Amber Kelley, also 10, of Washington State, told Kass that she's been cooking with her mother "for as long as I can remember." Kelley then went on to share her second favorite recipe behind her winning Nummy No-Noodle Lasagna: Moroccan Pasta.

The healthy young chefs arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday. They toured the Food Exhibit at the Smithsonian and got to know each other at a healthy pizza party. Following Tuesday's State Dinner, they'll tour the White House garden.

"Your next task is to pass it on. OK? You've
got to keep passing it on," Mrs. Obama told the chefs. "There are a lot of other little kids who would love
to be in this room, and they can't. But you can bring them here. You can share
your thoughts and ideas. You can become a leader."

Looking for a last-minute Dad's Day gift, or just a special dessert to make dad's jaw drop on Father's Day this Sunday? We've got an extra-special-occasion recipe from The Batali Brothers Cookbook, by Mario Batali's two ridiculously cute sons Benno and Leo Batali.The cookbook, originally compiled as a gift from the boys for their famous dad, is full of family recipes and charming stories, as well as some of Batali's own recipes (the endpapers, featuring hand-drawn smiley stick-figures of Leo and Benno, are another super-cute touch). In the preface, Batali writes, "Of course I'd expected to see my children blossom into fine young men, but it is an indescribable joy to witness this actually taking place." As any parent will tell you, that's what it's all about.

The story behind "Franny's Sunshine Cake" is that the family makes it every year for Mario Batali's birthday, but every year there's some little mistake made in the preparation that renders the cake slightly less than perfect. Which after all is the very definition of a family recipe: What about family life is ever perfect? Serve this dessert on Father's Day and revel in your family's sweet imperfection.

No offense to my co-workers, and sorry to ruin anyone's idea of what an awesome life an editor at a New York media company might lead ("cause of death: chicness"), but it's usually pretty boring around here. We sometimes eat delicious things, and we sometimes put googly eyes on vegetables and take pictures, but for the most part we go to meetings and think and work on our computers, which is what most people do.

The finished dishes ranged from a classic West Indian curry to Brazilian Moqueca to couscous-crusted salmon served with microgreens and red quinoa. Each one was delicious, healthy, and prepared in under 45 minutes by teams of young chefs, who demonstrated not just poise under pressure, but great fundamental knife skills. At one prep table, I watched a young woman swiftly and confidently peel and devein about two dozen shrimp in no time flat; meanwhile at other stations, a blender whipped up fresh pipian-basil pesto for a Mediterranean fish dish (pictured), and a pineapple was rendered into military-neat, evenly-sized chunks. The organization and focus in the room was impressive. (When I was that age the only thing that sharpened my focus was John Taylor.)

There's nothing like seeing the next generation of foodies in action to remind you why your job is fun. Congratulations again to all the kids who competed yesterday: Each team took home a prize, and each prize was well-deserved.

Do you have packing for a day at the beach down to a science? Then I would like to talk to you. Because I do not.

Going to the beach with a toddler is kind of like trying on Tenzing Norgay's backpack. There is a gobsmacking amount of stuff to snag, sort, stash, and slog. Umbrella, chairs, redundant bottles of sunscreen, towels, bucket, shovel, blanket, and water, of course, but also: dumptruck, kite, swim diapers or spare swimsuits, sunhat, some kind of floaty thing, wipes (in case sand gets on something, anything), perhaps a beach tent in case someone naps, and a red rubber lobster we have to bring because Henry's dad in the Henry and Mudge books has a red rubber lobster and he is totally boss.

And then there's the snacks. When you roll with my family, you know that there will be snacks.

But what snacks can survive the hot, lame car trip, the bumping, bruising lug out to the shore, and then hours sogging around in a cooler? Then there's the tricky business of what you can reasonably eat while wet and shagged-out and surrounded by sand. (Technically I suppose there's no reason why any food couldn't be eaten at the beach as well as at a table. I've been to the beach with people who brought salads--like, actual salads with little side containers for dressing. This seems, however, to violate the spirit of a good beach snack, if you ask me.)

Make Kabobs: Thread veggies, cheese chunks, and cut fruit on wooden child-safe skewers, pop them into a plastic container or wrap them in foil, and toss them in the cooler (on top). Great for sandy hands.

Pack Wraps: Tortillas wrapped burrito-style around hummus, goat cheese, or deli slices and then wrapped up in a layer of foil will stay intact in the cooler without taking up much space, and get less soggy than sandwiches.

Go for Grapes or Small, Sturdy Fruits: Nothing that will get smushed or bruised, but grapes, apples, and other tough-guy fruits are good choices for energy and hydration on a hot beach day.

It's not even Memorial Day yet, but grilling fever (pronounced feeev-aahhhh, natch) has hit hard at our house. Perhaps it's a function of being a working parent, but any dinner prep method that involves practically no cleanup and gets me outside for a few precious minutes of sunlight after a day in the office is a-okay by me. Plus, we all get to blow bubbles together while we're cooking dinner.

What I'd really love, of course, is some way to grill everything we consume. Cereal. Bagels. Salad. Spaghetti. There's got to be a way. As it is, we're already grilling our mains and all our veggies, and I'm looking forward to trying my first grilled salad with this Grilled Romaine Hearts with Avocado Lime Dressing recipe from my new favorite thing to ever happen to planet Earth, Thug Kitchen (marginally NSFW, by the way).

Epicurious has had a seat at the table at numerous White House events over the past year or so, most notably the Kids' State Dinner in August 2012. Led by editor-in-chief Tanya Steel, we continue to be a partner with First Lady Michelle Obama in Let's Move! and other important initiatives championing healthy eating for young people, including the recently created MyPlate Pinterest board. So it was a treat to be a part of yesterday's Easter festivities on the White House South Lawn, where the President and First Family hosted the 135th annual Easter Egg Roll.

This year's theme--"Be Healthy, Be Active, Be You"--had Let's Move! written all over it, and indeed the day began with Zumba instructors motivating a groggy crowd waiting on the Ellipse. Once inside, the festivities were as much about healthy eating and exercise as they were about Easter. In addition to the traditional Egg Roll on the upper lawn and egg crafts down below, there was yoga, basketball on the President's court, tumblers in action, Washington state apples to eat, the White House beekeeper to meet, the vegetable garden to admire, and a lively roster of activities hosted by the White House chefs. My personal favorite moment, pictured above: White House executive pastry chef Bill Yosses making hummus/humus jokes as he and executive chef Cristeta Comerford led pint-size volunteers in "planting" an edible garden of carrots, broccoli, and tomatoes in hummus-and-pumpernickel-crumb soil.

Plain matzoh is tasty for the first day of Passover. On the second day, you try to jazz it up with a schmear of peanut butter or jam. But, by the third or fourth day of the leaven-less holiday you're likely sick and tired of the dry, tasteless crackers. Don't despair: We've rounded-up recipes that will make mild-flavored matzoh taste like manna from heaven.

"We're all busy parents. I'm busy in a different way," Mrs. Obama acknowledged with a laugh, "but before being
a First Lady, I was one of those moms out there trying to figure out
how do I feed my kids, hold down a job, get to the grocery store, what
do I buy, how do I cook it, how do I get through a week, how do I make a
lunch that the kids won't whine about."

"I think that's what a lot of parents don't know," she went on. "You think you're doing
the right thing--I went through it. I thought I had it planned out--I'd
cook a dinner on Sunday that would last through Monday; by Tuesday, we
were eating out. Then Wednesday, you would cobble together the eat-out
food. And then that would get you to Friday, where you'd eat out again.
So you looked up and you found yourself eating out a lot simply because
just figuring out how to make that meal was a challenge, and how to do
the shopping, and what actually works and tastes good."

That sounded, um, painfully familiar. And I'm one of the lucky ones who lives in a city where I have access to good, fresh food. I work at a food website, for crying out loud: If I can't make healthy meals for my kid, who can? I was relieved to see other food editors around the table, many of whom were also working moms, nodding in recognition.

What was refreshing about the conversation (and you can read more of the Q&A with Mrs. Obama here) wasn't just the opportunity to commiserate a little bit with one of the world's most famous women, but the acknowledgment that little changes can make a big difference. As my own mom often says, "If you can't change everything, try changing one thing."

Have you made changes for the better in the way your family eats? What were they and how did they work?

photo: First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a "Let's Move!"
recipe roundtable in the China Room of the White House, Feb. 19, 2013.
(Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

This official White House photograph is being made available only for
publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by
the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated
in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials,
advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests
approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White
House.

Sure, we all cook to eat and to feed our families, but I've got an ulterior motive in the kitchen: the tactile tasks and sensory pleasures of cooking. In fact, when the day or week is done, it's downright therapeutic to get my hands working on a cutting board rather than a keyboard. And I'm intrigued to learn that many of my colleagues feel the same way: There's lots of satisfaction to be found in kitchen techniques, quite apart from the primary goal of making something great to eat. And everyone seems to have a personal favorite task, or two or three.

Me, I love deglazing (for the alchemy that transforms burnt-looking mess into flavorful/textural riches) and chiffonading herbs or greens (again, it's transformative, and it makes such a resounding thwump of cleaver on butcher block).

"I like blanching tomatoes. That always feels like a magic trick. And there's something very zen yet destructive about cutting up vegetables. You're relaxed as you decimate the onion."--Sara Bonisteel

"I find it so gratifying to slather frosting across a cake, especially the final swipe that covers that last little bit of exposed edge. It provides a sense of completion, and it's very methodical and orderly. (I think this is also why I love to vacuum. And why, semi-secretly, I'd love to ride a Zamboni.)"--Kelly Senyei

"If a recipe calls for mixing something together in a big bowl with your hands, I'm your gal. It sounds gross, but I love squirshing eggs, bread crumbs, and ground meat into meatballs and meatloaves. It's kinda like being a mad scientist, but without the hunchbacked assistant."--Siobhan Adcock

One of the new leaves I'm trying to turn over in 2013 is in the kitchen. My #1 goal for this year (other than losing weight and achieving world peace and/or domination) is to do a better job planning and preparing meals. I've written here before about the perils of arriving home at 6:30 to a hungry toddler with no patience for dinner prep that doesn't involve crayons, and for budget and health reasons I'd also like to get back into the habit of bringing my lunch to work (ever tried to find a salad for under $5 in midtown Manhattan? Well, don't).

So I'm on the hunt for online resources that can help me build a better lunchbox and a better dinner plan. My first stops every week are of course Epicurious's Weekly Dinner Planner and our Healthy Dinner Tonight feature. Other sites I'm shamelessly stealing weeknight meal planning ideas from include RealSimple.com's Month of Dinners, Foodlets.com's great list of kid- and adult-friendly dinner recipes, and Our Weekly Eats, where Jessica Harlan, a friend who's also a recipe developer and food-fixated mom, is recording her meal-planning in detail, including lunches and school snacks for herself and her two girls.